[Shine]

I swear, horses just think of new ways to scare the h@ll out of you. Or...they are "employees" of the vet.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/Firef...00&hpt=us_bn10

[rustbreeches]

So she got stuck in a well, and then stuck in mud?? Both times requiring the FD to get involved. I think Katie Sue needs a new home, where the conditions are a wee bit safer

[greygirls]

If it's not a horse in a well, it's a kid or a dog....a real head banger that can anyone knowingly have a well uncovered on their property.... So stupid...

[Thoroughbred in Color]

Rustbreeches and Greygirls, the owner of the horse was not the property owner. She had no idea that the well existed. It had been covered with a piece of plywood, probably at least a decade ago, and completly overgrown with blackberries. The well looked to be about 40 or 50 years old based on the construction, and had probably not been used in 20+ years. I don't even think the property owner knew about it.

As for getting stuck in the mud, this is Oregon. We have had an useasonably wet and cold Spring/Summer so far, even for us, with pouring rains even into the 1st week of July. The pasture is on a fairly steep slope, with the drainage area being downhill of the well. Katie-Sue had been trapped in a near vertical position, with all of her considerable weight (even skinny she is an easy 1500 lbs) on her hind legs for over five hours. She was also very chilled due to being half submerged in water on a 50 degree evening/night. On top of that, she was heavily sedated to keep her from hurting herself further or accidentally injuring one of the firefighters trying to help her.

The only direction to safely extract her from the well was downhill, in the direction of the drainage area. Between the sedation, low body temperature, and exhaustion she was unable to stand for very long or walk for very far. She was allowed to rest just below the well, where she was tubed with warm fluids and given a large pile of alfalfa along with a bucket of hot mash. The well was filled in by the backhoe operator, the horse was given a final once over, and everyone excluding the owners left. After she warmed up and started feeling better she tried to get up, but stumbled and fell. The owners were unable to flip her over away from the mud on her own, so they called for help a second time. At that point Katie-Sue was recovered enough that with the extra manpower they were able to push her up the hill to the other pasture.

Katie-Sue is a 27 year old percheron rescued from an abuse situation not long before this incident. It is very clear her current owner is taking measures to provide the best care for this horse; although she is skinny from her previous situation, her current owner is working on putting weight on her with 24/7 access to good pasture, high quality alfalfa and senior grain. Her feet have clearly seen recent farrier work, despite the chipping that occured while she was struggling to free herself from the well, and her teeth are in a similarly good condition. During the checkup 2 days after her ordeal she came out with a clean bill of health other than the scrapes she sustained during the incident.

Before anyone says that I know the owner and am siding with her, I don't. I hadn't met her before and I can't even remember her name. I'm the technician that showed up with the vet that the Goshen fire cheif called.(that's me in the black jacket with the red hood). I'll admit that I was livid when we showed up, thinking the exact same thing that you both posted. I just felt the need to set the record straight, since things are not always as they appear on tv.

[katarine]

Several years ago, a TB stallion 'disappeared' from his farm in the next county. All signs indicated theft.

Only later was a long abandoned well discovered. The grass had grown over it, no one knew it was there. He punched through the covering, and died.

again, no one had any idea there even WAS an old well on the property.

[BaroquePony]

North Carolina recently passed a law (building inspectors) that all known wells that are no longer in use need to be completely filled with cement if the opening is greater than something like 6".

[Shine]

Rustbreeches and Greygirls, the owner of the horse was not the property owner. She had no idea that the well existed. It had been covered with a piece of plywood, probably at least a decade ago, and completly overgrown with blackberries. The well looked to be about 40 or 50 years old based on the construction, and had probably not been used in 20+ years. I don't even think the property owner knew about it.

As for getting stuck in the mud, this is Oregon. We have had an useasonably wet and cold Spring/Summer so far, even for us, with pouring rains even into the 1st week of July. The pasture is on a fairly steep slope, with the drainage area being downhill of the well. Katie-Sue had been trapped in a near vertical position, with all of her considerable weight (even skinny she is an easy 1500 lbs) on her hind legs for over five hours. She was also very chilled due to being half submerged in water on a 50 degree evening/night. On top of that, she was heavily sedated to keep her from hurting herself further or accidentally injuring one of the firefighters trying to help her.

The only direction to safely extract her from the well was downhill, in the direction of the drainage area. Between the sedation, low body temperature, and exhaustion she was unable to stand for very long or walk for very far. She was allowed to rest just below the well, where she was tubed with warm fluids and given a large pile of alfalfa along with a bucket of hot mash. The well was filled in by the backhoe operator, the horse was given a final once over, and everyone excluding the owners left. After she warmed up and started feeling better she tried to get up, but stumbled and fell. The owners were unable to flip her over away from the mud on her own, so they called for help a second time. At that point Katie-Sue was recovered enough that with the extra manpower they were able to push her up the hill to the other pasture.

Katie-Sue is a 27 year old percheron rescued from an abuse situation not long before this incident. It is very clear her current owner is taking measures to provide the best care for this horse; although she is skinny from her previous situation, her current owner is working on putting weight on her with 24/7 access to good pasture, high quality alfalfa and senior grain. Her feet have clearly seen recent farrier work, despite the chipping that occured while she was struggling to free herself from the well, and her teeth are in a similarly good condition. During the checkup 2 days after her ordeal she came out with a clean bill of health other than the scrapes she sustained during the incident.

Before anyone says that I know the owner and am siding with her, I don't. I hadn't met her before and I can't even remember her name. I'm the technician that showed up with the vet that the Goshen fire cheif called.(that's me in the black jacket with the red hood). I'll admit that I was livid when we showed up, thinking the exact same thing that you both posted. I just felt the need to set the record straight, since things are not always as they appear on tv.

So...She is OK?

[greygirls]

Well, there's a lesson here if one wants to learn it--walk the property and check it for hazards before turning a horse out--or a child, or pets. It's called "common sense," but it's not in great abundance--as we see in the news every day.

[katarine]

Umm, if you walked the field, you would see a thicket of blackberries. Maybe you'd weed-eat it down and you'd see....grass and soil. Until a horse stepped smack onto the now rotted, but completely hidden plywood- you wouldn't know it was there.

I appreciate what you are trying to say, but I'm just saying that sometimes you cannot see the hazard.

[Thoroughbred in Color]

Umm, if you walked the field, you would see a thicket of blackberries. Maybe you'd weed-eat it down and you'd see....grass and soil. Until a horse stepped smack onto the now rotted, but completely hidden plywood- you wouldn't know it was there.

I appreciate what you are trying to say, but I'm just saying that sometimes you cannot see the hazard.

^This^

Until the firefighters cleared away the backberries from around the well, it was all but invisible, even with a big white horse head sticking out. With moss growing on old plywood, and blackberries covering that, there's no way that anybody who didn't know there was a well out there would have found it.
And, yes, other than a few bumps and bruises, Katie-Sue is fine.

[Calamber]

That she is well, no pun intended after abuse and then a stint in a well and then an unscheduled mud bath is a testament to a very determined and strong 27 year old horse. Thank you for the update and explanation. Now I have something else to worry about, camoflaged wells! Glad to hear Katie Sue has someone who loves her, that someone found her in time and all of those folks who could help her out.